Our Fellowship Eternal by Core Device

Some songs also bring to mind Nevermore's Warrel Dane when he sings in a baritone range and refrains from hitting higher notes.

Out of the eleven songs, it could be roughly described that about the first couple of tracks are more thrash-induced pieces, akin to classic 80's old school thrash. The bands hits into gear right off the bat with the powerful first track "Shadows Mind", one of their longest works too, and introduces a throaty, midrange singer that switches between clean vocal harmonies and somewhat death metal-ish grunts, but they are few and far in between. The gloomy title track demonstrates the darker and more melancholic side of the band, focusing on a moody intro, grey acoustic guitars, some keyboards interjected into the background, and awesome sweep arpeggios on the guitar by both Patrick Kehoe and Tony Necora. A smooth shift into a more power metal-driven zone, displaying clever key and tempo changes, evokes early Fates Warning and Crimson Glory and this is one of the best songs on the album for sure. Iced Earth's trademark galloping riff style is heard aplenty on the more modern "Hell and Torment", while "Stranger" is another diverse cut with subtle keyboards, great twin guitar leads, and a deep contrast between thrash-laden and atmosphere-laced passages.

From here on, the album takes on a more power metal side, though they continue to incorporate their classic thrash moments invariably. Thundering drums, huge gallop riffs, and cutting lead solos all emphasize Dunphy's vocals, which seem to get better with each listen. The growling bass on "One Path" matches his semi-growled vocals that also display his clean, regular voice. Exotic scales are married with Bay Area thrash on the experimental "God and Man" and definitely make for an interesting combination. The richly bass accentuated "Burning Away" is full of epic chunks of rhythm and even a beautiful female vocalist that sings back-up towards the end.(Note, I found out later that the female voice IS Daniel Dunphy, AMAZING!!!)

More a capella vocals are available on the last track "Torn from Within" during a silent midsection before the song launches into a punishingly heavy power metal number. With Our Fellowship Eternal, Core Device have put out a very good release that should appeal to fans of heavy metal that borders on both thrash, power, and even progressive at times. I think it's worthy to note that Michael Romeo of Symphony X helped record, mix and engineer this disc as well. Let's hope their following disc comes out soon.

Average Customer Review: 5